Hey folks,

I think I've decided on a 80-85 300td. I live in Oakland, but it's easy enough to travel around most of the SF Bay area. There are quite a few around, but I'm looking for some input as to some of the options in the area. I'm not really interested in fancy or pretty or (most) luxuries. I'm really more interested in mechanical reliability and safety. ie. I really don't care at all if a car has working AC or not, but I'd rather not buy something that I immediately have to spend a lot of money on just to get in functional and safe condition. I don't have a ton of automotive technical experience, but I have the time and the interest to learn. All that being said, here are a few I'm considering:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4076139510.html (link is currently down - I'll repost as soon as it comes back up)
- 1980 300td with 237k miles. $2500. I took a look at it and it does seem to be in very good mechanical shape. Started up nicely. Idled nicely. No white smoke even at cold start. No noticeable blowby. I looked in what I thought were the usual rust spots and didn't find any. Just a touch here and there on the side panels where the paint is cracking and has flaked. It did start to make a squeaking after driving a bit. The frequency changed with the car's speed, maybe like a u-joint or wheel bearing? The interior wasn't beautiful, but clean enough. No radio (something I could probably handle myself), automatic door locks have been bypassed (vacuum leaks). It has the old style hand lift pump, but in the event that would need replacing I think it's within my capabilities. Doesn't have a sunroof (one of the luxuries I was actually hoping for). Also non-functioning heater, although they mentioned they might be able to fix it before a sale. It's being sold by a company that specializes in selling old MBs in this area. They've gone over it and checked a number of things and done some repairs. I kind of like the idea that I wouldn't necessarily have as many liabilities to consider myself.

1985 Mercedes Diesel 300TD Wagon - $3800
- 1985 300td. 298,400k although it says the odo stopped turning in Sept. 2012. $3800. I haven't taken a look at it yet. I had heard that the 85's generally get slightly better mpg?

1984 Mercedes Benz 300TD Wagon Diesel
- 1984 300td. "270000+miles" whatever that means. $2800. Also haven't had a chance to take a look yet. Has a third seat (does anyone ever actually like sitting in those?) and sunroof. Not a lot of mention of any mechanical condition, although it has a salvage title from hitting a deer(?)

1982 Mercedese Benz 300TD Wagon--Only 204,000 miles
- 1982 300td. 204k miles. $2950 or $2650 depending on which ad you view. Haven't had a chance to look at yet.

1982 Mercedes Benz 300TD Diesel Wagon 228,000mi.
- 1982 300td. 228k miles. $1000 (potentially less). Some significant issues, including rust. I took a look and said no at the time, but thought I would list it here anyways.

Also this:
1984 Mercedes 300TD Wagon - Never needs smog!
- 1984 300td 179k. $2500. It seems like it could be a really good deal, but it would be hard for me to go all the way down to LA to look for a car (It'd tack on some money too).


Thanks in advance for any help!

Max

First link is gone....

Second...that linkage set up is priceless....broke the idle adjustment screw, using a spring.....throttle pivot mount gone....using a piece of chain link fence to hold it together...

Third....nice, needs alot of work....home made bio? Or station bought? Neglected car...needs a lot I am sure

Fourth....same as second...

Fifth....parts car, unsafe in my eye....

Sixth....might be the best one but not enough info....

Summery.....no matter which you buy....you will be spending a ton to fix them if you don't know how to work on them, other wise they will still cost you but not as much.....

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I think they all need a couple thousand at least to be safe and dependable daily drivers.

First link flagged for removal.

Second and fourth - is that coffee in the SLS reservoir???

Third - seems the most honest but might need SLS work, electrical work, seat pads... Maybe a $1200 car if you don't mind the work ahead.

Fifth - I don't think there's enough left to call it a car let alone a 300TD.

Sixth - check it closely for rust if came from the east coast.

'85s have taller gearing (2.88 vs 3.07?) for slightly better highway mileage. I don't think you'll notice a difference in city driving.

Here's a couple more:

1985 Mercedes Diesel 300TD Wagon

Mercedes Benz 300 Series Tan | eBay

Sixto
87 300D

suggest spending more up front on a well-maintained one to reduce your future expense and hassle.

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'77 240D, 504H, OM617.952, etc.

Sorry about the broken links and the one link showing twice. I'll repost the first as soon as it comes back up on CL. Weird that almost as soon as I posted it here it got flagged on craigslist. I've met the person and everything, so I know it's not a scam, etc.

Yeah I would tend to agree, but there's not a whole lot of options around here at the moment. Maybe I just need to be more patient.

the one in west oakland seems fine.
these cars command a premium around here. be prepared to pay well for one that isnt a complete wreck.

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1981 NA 300D 310k miles

+ 1 on that, I think you are looking at $6500 minimum for one that isn't in terrible shape in this area. Is having a wagon (vs a w123 sedan or w126) worth at least an extra $2k?

If you don't need a wagon, I know the seller of this SD and though it needs some work, there's no deferred maintenance to worry about - 1984 Mercedes Benz 300SD

Sixto
87 300D

I have a manila beige (banana yellow) wagon that is low mileage and has a rebuilt front end look me up on benzworld

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Wie lange wird Ihr Auto leben?

IF the wagon is in decent condition, I'd value it $500 -1000 higher than a sedan, unless you NEED a wagon, then of course, it's value is unlimited.

why are you hunting a wagon? (I've got 4, plus parts cars, so don't think I'm talking you out of one.)

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

that engine's strong! the sls has been reconditioned and it could easily tow almost anything you want. it was going to be the basis of my power wagon project until my g came up for sale (that i could afford) and i instantly changed priorities.

Thanks. PM Sent on benzworld.

I'm fairly certain I'm looking for a wagon here. This would be my only car and I wouldn't need it as a daily driver as I mostly bike around Oakland here. I'd like a more versatile vehicle that I might occasionally be able to use to pick up larger items, etc. I think it will be something that I'd mostly take longer trips with - maybe a couple times a week to go climbing/hiking and then a couple times a month longer trips (4-20 hours). Those trips would generally include a dog, a fair amount of gear, and other people. I know that these particular vehicles do tend to command a premium, and if there were another set of diesel wagons with large DIY communities, I might go for it, but I'm not aware of any.

Thanks for all of your ongoing help.

I went and looked at this 85 300TD yesterday:
1985 Mercedes Diesel 300TD Wagon

Here are some pictures I took:

https://plus.google.com/photos/114278469823353890929/albums/5937642400030603393?authkey=CJCs6IOK_deHLA

It started up quickly and nicely without touching the pedal from cold, there was a VERY small amount of blowby (with the valve cover test), it accelerated and braked smoothly and comfortably, and the interior is totally within what I would want. No rust that I could see.

It leaked a few drops of oil (there are some pictures that might give an idea, although I have a feeling that everything is too dirty to get a good idea of just where), the paint is thinning(? not really flaking or peeling, just disappearing) on the roof and hood in some places, and the odometer is broken at around 300k (owner said that they hadn't driven it since then and I tend to believe them as they replaced the 300TD with another vehicle).

I believe it has the CA style exhaust system. The owner mentioned that they had already checked with MB and that it had been taken care of (?), but wasn't any clearer. I have the VIN so I suppose I could check myself? Did the recall/replacement just consist of MB replacing the trap oxidizer with an empty one or did I read that incorrectly somewhere??

At highway speeds the steering felt a little bit loose, but the list of repairs that have been done in the last year cover a lot of the front end. The owner mentioned that there's an adjustment at the steering box that might fix that. He also mentioned that he didn't notice the loose steering. Is it possible I'm being to sensitive to it?

The tires didn't look in the best shape. I've never been particularly good about knowing when tires had to be replaced.

It's listed at $3800 but I think it could come down.

I'm also really interested in taking a look at this one, but no word back from the seller:
1980 300TD Mercedes Diesel Wagon 147k original miles